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Scheduling to Avoid Conflict with Religious Holidays

In the past, some programs have scheduled important academic deadlines, events, or activities on religious holidays that many individuals on our campus observe.

While it will be hard to avoid all conflicting dates, the Graduate Division asks all program directors, faculty, and staff to be sensitive to this issue and not schedule critical deadlines or events that students, faculty, or staff must attend on the dates listed below.

Note that UCSF must comply with California State Education Code section 92640, which says that an instructor must make a reasonable attempt to accommodate student needs in the case of serious incompatibility between a student's religious creed and a scheduled test or examination. Therefore:

Accommodation for alternative examination dates may be worked out directly and on an individual basis between the student and the faculty member involved.

Students should make such requests of the instructor during the first two weeks of an academic term, or as soon as possible after a particular examination date is announced by the instructor.

Students or faculty with questions may contact Liz Silva, associate dean for graduate programs.

If you have already scheduled an important event on one of the dates on this list, be sure to allow reasonable accommodations for students who observe the conflicting holiday.

Also, please bear in mind that it is not always comfortable for students to ask for accommodations, so you’ll want to give them opportunities to easily make such requests.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for creating a supportive, inclusive environment for our students.

2018-2019 Religious Holidays

PLEASE NOTE:

Jewish and Islamic holidays (denoted with "^") begin at sundown the day before listed date.

Islamic holidays are approximate and can vary by one day.

2018

Christmas (Eastern Orthodox), Jan 7 (every year)

Chinese New Year, Feb 16, 2018

Ash Wednesday (Lent begins), Feb 14, 2018

^Purim, Mar 1, 2018

Persian New Year (Nowruz), Mar 21, 2018

^Pesach/Passover, Mar 31- Apr 7, 2018*

Good Friday, Mar 30, 2018

Easter, April 1, 2018

^Shavuot, May 20-21, 2018

^Ramadan, May 16-Jun 14, 2018**

^Eid al-Fitr, Jun 15, 2018**

^Eid al-Adha, Aug 22, 2018***

^Rosh Hashana, Sep 10-11, 2018

^Yom Kippur, Sep 19, 2018

^Sukkot, Sep 24-30, 2018*

^Simchat Torah, Oct 2, 2018

Diwali, Nov 7, 2018

Birth of Bahá'u'lláh, Nov 12, 2018

^Chanukah, Dec 3-10, 2018

Christmas, Dec 25 (also a University holiday)

2019

Christmas (Eastern Orthodox), Jan 7 (every year)

Chinese New Year, Feb 5, 2019

Ash Wednesday (Lent begins), Mar 6, 2019

^Purim, Mar 21, 2019

Persian New Year (Nowruz), Mar 21, 2019

^Pesach/Passover, Apr 20-27, 2019*

Good Friday, Apr 19, 2019

Easter, April 21, 2019

Orthodox Good Friday, Apr 26, 2019

Orthodox Easter, Apr 28, 2019

^Shavuot, Jun 9-10, 2019

^Ramadan, May 6-Jun 4, 2019**

^Eid al-Fitr, Jun 5-7, 2019**

^Eid al-Adha, Aug 12, 2019***

^Rosh Hashana, Sep 30-Oct 1, 2019

^Yom Kippur, Oct 9, 2019

^Sukkot, Oct 14-20, 2019*

^Simchat Torah, Oct 22, 2019

Diwali, Oct 27, 2019

Birth of Bahá'u'lláh, Nov 12, 2019

^Chanukah, Dec 23-30, 2019

Christmas, Dec 25 (also a University holiday)

*Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on the first two days of Sukkot, and on the first and last two days of Passover.

**If possible, avoid scheduling major academic deadlines during the month of Ramadan, and especially during Eide al-Fitr, the three days just following Ramadan. Be sensitive to the fact that students and employees celebrating Ramadan will be fasting during the day, continuously for 30 days, and may have less energy as a result.

*** Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on the first day of Eid al-Adha.